Generals march right past John Glenn

Sep. 29, 2007

Written by

Staff Writer

NEW CONCORD - Sheridan made an emphatic statement Friday night before next week's showdown with co-Muskingum Valley League leader and undefeated Tri-Valley.

The Generals' running game racked up over 400 yards on 50 carries with Adrian Balser accounting for 178 yards on 16 carries and three scores while the defense would not be outdone by holding host John Glenn to just six first downs and under 100 total yards in a 35-0 shutout at McConagha Stadium.

Sheridan improved 4-0 in the MVL and 6-0 overall and ended a two-game losing streak to the Muskies (3-2, 4-2) with the win.

The game started out in John Glenn's favor as it moved the ball into Sheridan territory on the opening drive, but a block in the back penalty short-charged the march as the Muskies punted.

The two teams swapped punts as the Muskies pinned the Generals deep into their own territory by downing the ball at the 9-yard line. Balser made it moot with a 91-yard touchdown gallop on the first play of the drive. Michael Pallone added the PAT to make it 7-0 with 4:09 left in the first quarter.

After another defensive stand, Sheridan got the ball back with good field position at its 45-yard line. Balser opened the drive with a nine-yard spurt to move into Muskies' territory. Two plays later, Collin Smith found Robert Spillman for 21 yards to take the ball to the Muskies' 25.

After a Smith run, Lance Sweeney followed with a pair of four-yard runs including a key third down conversion to setup up a first down at the 14. After an incompletion, Smith took the ball 13 yards to the one then Balser pounded it in from a yard out to end a 10-play drive covering 55 yards. Pallone added the extra point for a 14-0 lead with 10:04 remaining in the second quarter.

After another Muskies three-and-out, the Generals opened the gap to 21-0 on a seven-play drive covering 54 yards with 4:52 before the half. Sweeney capped the drive with an 11-yard scoring run and had 20 yards on two carries while Smith added 15 yards on a pair of touches and Balser rushed three times for 15 yards in the series.

Sheridan put the game away by taking the opening drive of the second half for its fourth touchdown. Smith found Bobby Denny for 11 yards to convert a third-and-10 at the Generals 29. Sweeney followed with carries of eight and 17 yards to move the ball past midfield to the Muskies' 35.

After a holding call moved the ball back to the Muskies 41, Balser found a hole on the left side and took it the distance as Pallone added his fourth PAT for a 28-0 lead.

Sweeney capped the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run to end an 11-play, 62-yard drive with just under four minutes remaining in the game as Pallone tacked on the extra point to finish the scoring.

Smith added 131 yards on the ground on 13 carries and was 3-for-7 for 45 yards in the passing game for the Generals. Sweeney ran the ball another 15 times for 92 yards and two scores and Robert Spillman caught two passes for 34 yards.

The Muskies struggled to find any holes in the Generals' defense. They finished with 52 yards rushing on 30 carries as Justin Gidcumb was held to 35 yards on 11 carries and Garrett Bennington had eight yards on eight carries.